China to host Asian Cup Football 2023 after South Korea withdraw bid

South Korea have abandoned their bid to stage Asian Cup Football tournament in 2023, leaving the sole other bidders China with a free run to become hosts. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said in a statement that it had pulled out to strategically focus on a joint bid with North Korea to host the Women’s World Cup in the same year.

The KFA announced the joint bid in March, but diplomatic contacts between Pyongyang and Seoul have since dwindled with North Korea-US nuclear talks deadlocked.